Electrical street and station indicator.



PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904.

L. G. ALLEN. ELECTRICAL STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 7. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

K0 MODEL.

INVEIII'OR M C. W

, J. z. M

No. 766,864. PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904.

L. G. ALLEN.

ELECTRICAL STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED D30. 7. 1903.

2 BHBBTS-BHBETE H0 MODEL.

WITNESSES INVENTOR 2 J a xwwaw NITEU STA'rEs Patented August 9, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS C. ALLEN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,86d, dated August9, 1904.

Application filed December 7, 1903. Serial No. 184,019. (No model.)

To all 1077 0711, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Lnwrs O. ALLEN, of Pitts burg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvementin Electrical Street and Station Indicators, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification, in whicl Figure 1 is a frontelevation of my improved indicator. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same,the top portion of the indicator-casing and the mechanism carriedthereby being removed and the shafts of the reels being shown insection. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are vertical sectional views on the lines IIIIII, IV IV, and V V, respectively, of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a longitudinalvertical sectional view showing the indicator mounted in an electrictrolley-car. Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the same. Fig.8 is a side elevation of a portion of the trolley-wire and atrolley-wheel provided with the indicator-contact. Fig. 9 is a verticalsectional View of the same. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view showing theelectric circuits. In this figure a modified arrangement of the motorstopping or braking circuit is shown. Fig. 11 is a detached view of aportion of the electromagnet which serves to close the motor-circuit andthe belt which serves to carry the signs and also acts to keep themotor-circuit closed during the shifting of the signs; and Fig. 12 is anend View of the same, the belt being shown in vertical section.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts wherever they occur.

My invention relates to an ilnprovementin automatic street and stationindicators adapted to be placed in trolley-cars and other vehicles; andit consists in apparatus adapted to be operated by an electric currentand to automatically display the names or numbers of the streets orstations along the route at or in advance of the arrival of the car atsuch points.

I will now describe my invention, so that others skilled in the art maymanufacture and use the same.

In the drawings I show an indicator box or case which is adapted to besupported crosswise in the middle portion of the car below the roof ofthe same, and it may be of such size and shape as to be supported by thelongitudinal bars 2, to which the hand-straps of the car are attached,is shown in Figs. 1 and 7 of the drawings. This casing is composed oftwo boxes 3 and i, one at each end, and a narrower or central portion 5,which extends between the two boxes and opens into the same. Thisportion 5 is provided with glass or transparent side pieces on bothsides of the casing, so that the street-sign may be read from eitherside of the indicator. In the boxes 3 and 4 are two reels 6 and '7, onwhich is wound the belt or apron 8, which passes from the reel 6 throughthe box 3 over the rollers 9 into the middle portion 5 of the casing tothe rollers 9 in the box t and to the reel 7. By turning the reels 6 and7 the belt may be unwound from one reel to the other, and as this beltis provided with the names of the streets or stations or the numbers ofthe streets or stations on both sides of the belt these names or numberswill be displayed through the glass or transparent sides of the middleportion 5 of the indicator-casing. Within the box 3 is an electric motor10, provided with a wheel and a belt 11, which belt passes up throughthe top of the casing to a belt-wheel 12 on the longitudinal shaft 13.This shaft 13 is loosely mounted in bearings 14:, so as to be capable ofa longitudinal movement. To permit of this movement the belt-wheel 12may be fitted on the shaft 18 by a feather and spline, which will permitof the movement of the shaft without interfering with the position ofthe beltwheel. At the two ends of the shaft 13 are miter-wheels 15,which are arranged to engage alternately with miter-wheels 16 and 17 onthe ends of the shafts of the reels 6 and 7. Pivoted to the upper partof the casing are two arms 18 18, the upper ends of which extend betweenand engage with the collars 19, which are keyed to the sl'iaft 13. Thelower ends of the arms 18 18 extend down in the casings in the path ofprojections or lugs 20, fastened at any desired positions along the belt8, whereby when the belt is unwound from one reel to the other one ofthe projections 20 strikes the end of one of the pivotal arms 18 andmoves the same on its pivot, so

that the upper end of the arm bearing against the collars 19 will shiftthe power-shaft 13 and cause the miter-wheel 15 on one end of the shaftto be disengaged from the miterwheel of one reel and the miter-wheel 15at the other end of the shaft to become engaged with the miter-wheel ofthe other reel, thereby reversing the movement of the belt or apron 8and causing the names or numbers of the streets .or stations to be againindicated in reverse order as the car or other vehicle retraces itsroute. Although this feature of reversing the movement of the belt is animportant one in my invention, yet I do not desire to limit myselfthereto, as other arrangements of the belt may be substituted, as wherethe car or other vehicle is to be used on a belt-line.

In order that the names or numbers of the streets or stations may bedisplayed at intervals, the motor is set in operation at a point inadvance of the next street or, preferably, as soon as a street orstation has been passed and continues to run until the next name ornumber on the belt 8 is brought into the middle portion of the casing 5.Thereupon the motor is automatically stopped. To this end I employ anelectromagnet 21, the armature of which is normally held open by thespring 22, the magnet when energized being adapted to attract thearmature 23 and close the contact 23. For the purpose of magnetizing themagnet a contact-leaf 24 is secured to the harp of the trolley-wheel, asshown in Figs. 8 and 9, which leaf bears against a sleeve 25, which isbolted to the web of the trolley-wheel, the sleeve being insulated fromthe web.

- At each station, secured to the trolley-wire, is an arm 26, carrying acontact-piece 27, which arm and contact-piece are in electricalconnection with the wire. As the trolleywheel passes this arm the sleeve25 comes in contact therewith and the current flows from the wirethrough the arm 26, contact-piece 27, and sleeve 25 to the leaf 24, andthence by a wire 28 to the magnet 21, thereby energizing the same duringthe period that the sleeve 25 is in contact with the contact-piece 27.WVhile this period is of momentary duration, it is sufficient to attractthe armature 23 of the magnet and operate the bell-crank lever 29, onearm of which is secured to the armature and the other arm provided witha pin 30, which bears against the face of the belt 8 and is adapted toengage with holes 31 therein. WVhen the armature of the magnet isoperated as described, the contact 23 is closed. This contact is placedin the electric circuit 32, which is connected with the motor and withthe lampcircuit of the car, as is indicated by the diagram in Fig. 10,and by the closing of this circuit the motor 10 is set in operation.This motor communicates power to the shaft 13 and causes the belt 8 tobe wound from one reel, 6, to the other reel, 7, or vice versa. As thebelt moves the hole 31 in the belt 8 passes out of line with the pin 30,which prevents the movement of the bell-crank lever, as the force of thespring 22 merely presses the pin 30 against the face of the belt.Although the magnet 21 is energized only momentarily, yet the contact 23is kept closed through the inability of the bell-crank lever 29 to moveto its normal position, and this continues until the next succeedinghole 31 in the belt 8 comes opposite the pin 30, whereupon the force ofthe spring 22 will cause the pin 30 to enter the hole and the movementof the bell-crank lever will break the contact 23 and cut the currentfrom the motor. The holes 31 are arranged in the belt 8 at suchdistances that the movement of the belt will continue until the name orthe number of the next succeeding station is displayed in the centralportion of the casing 5.

By means of a short circuit 34, leading from a contact 35, adapted beclosed by the pin 30 when it has entered one of the holes 31, mechanismmay be actuated for the purpose of braking or stopping the motor 10, soas to prevent it from exerting tension on the belt. Instead of havingthe braking-circuit 34 closed by means of the pin 30 it may be closed bythe withdrawal or downward movement of the armature-lever 23 and asuitable contact similar to the contact 23. (Diagrammatically shown inFig. 10.)

The advantages of my invention will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art. Instead of having a continuously-moving motor and clutch themotor is at rest, excepting when it is necessary to change the signal,and at the same time the motor is not dependent upon direct intermittentcontact with the trolleywire for the current necessary to maintain asufiicient force to shift the signal.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic electrical street and sta tion indicator, thecombination of a sign-indicator, a motor adapted to operate theindicator, an electromagnet operating directly, when energized by themovement of its armature, to close the motor-circuit to start the motor,an intermittent contact adapted to close the magnet-circuit, and adevice independent of the magnet proper for retaining the closure of themotor-circuit during the movement of the indicator.

2. In an automatic electrical street and station indicator, thecombination of a movable belt with signs arranged on both sides of thesame, a casing having transparent sides for exposing the signs to view,a motor adapted to move the belt, an electromagnet operating directly,when energized, by the movement of its armature, to close momentarilythe motorcircuit to start the motor, and devices independent of themagnet proper for retaining the closure of the motor-circuit until thesign has been changed.

3. In an automatic electrical street and sta tion indicator, thecombination of an indicator having a movable belt provided with signs, amotor adapted to move the belt, an electromagnet operating directly,When energized, by the movement of its armature, to close Inomentarilythe motor-circuit to start the motor, and devices independent of themagnet proper for maintaining the closure of the motor-circuit until thesign has been changed.

4. In an automatic electrical indicator system, the combination of asign-indicator, an electromotor for operating the indicator, a circuithaving a series of contacts thereon, a movable contact adapted tocontact With said series of contacts, a separate circuit for the motor,and an .electromagnet electrically connected With said movable contact,said magnet operating directly, by the movement of its armature, whenenergized by the contact of said movable contact With said series ofcontacts, to close the'motor-circuit to start the motor.

5. In an automatic electrical indicator system, the combination of asign-indicator, an

taining the closure of the motor-circuit after i the magnet-circuit isbroken.

6. In a street and station indicator, a movable sign-belt, reels forholding the belt,

mechanisx'n for driving the reels, a single Inc-- tor for operating saidreel-driving mechanism, and means operated positively by the belt forshifting the reel-driving mechanism so as to drive the reelsalternately.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. V

LEWIS C. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

A. M. STEEN, JAMns K. BAKEWELL.

